Iran News Round Up

The Iran News Round Up ran from February 2009-September 2018. Visit the Iran File for the latest analysis.

Key takeaway: U.S. and Israeli pressure to secure a Russian-sponsored agreement in Syria is unlikely to result in the removal of Iranian and Iranian-backed forces from Syria.

Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Ali Akbar Velayati met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 12 in Moscow, Russia one day after Putin met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu reportedly called on Russia to remove Iran’s military presence in Syria in order to prevent additional Israeli strikes against Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s assets.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make a similar request during his upcoming meeting with Putin on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland. Velayati stated on July 13 that Iran’s “presence in Syria will continue” after his meeting with Putin. American and Israeli attempts to pressure Russia into setting conditions for the expulsion of Iranian and Iranian-backed forces are unlikely to succeed, in spite of serious international and domestic calls for Iran to stop its activities in Syria.

Iran’s Hardliners Will Be the First Winners of the Protest Movement

Citations & Links

Citations & Links

Regional Developments and Diplomacy

[c]

{{current_n + 1}} of 1 cards

July 13, 2018

Velayati and Netanyahu travel to Moscow to meet with Putin

Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 12 in Moscow, Russia. Velayati relayed messages from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani during his meeting with Putin and discussed regional security, nuclear-related, and economic issues. Velayati also noted that Russia would continue its investments in Iran’s oil economy and that Russian companies could serve as a replacement to European firms leaving the Iranian market following the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal on May 8. Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei, Velayati’s Chief of Staff Ali Asghar Fathi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also participated in the meeting.

Water-related protests in Kazeroun result in one protester death

Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) Kazeroun County Commander IRGC Col. Mohammad Ebbadi Nejad announced on July 12 that one protester died after LEF officials and protesters clashed near Kamaraj, Kazeroun County, Fars Province. LEF officials were dispatched to collect unsanctioned water pumps. Several local citizens resisted and allegedly threw rocks toward the LEF in response. LEF forces shot at protesters using pellets and injured several, resulting in the death of one protester. Ebbadi Nejad also noted that several LEF officials were injured after the protests. Videos of the protests have not surfaced on social media. Kazeroun County was the scene of the deadliest protests since the late-December 2017 Protests when regime security forces killed at least three protesters in mid-May 2018. (ISNA)

An oil tanker allegedly traveling from Kirkuk, Iraqi Kurdistan to Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province in western Iran crashed with a passenger bus, killing 11 people on July 11. Local Kurdish citizens began to protest following the crash. Unconfirmed social media reports claim that the protests began because the regime initially responded to the scene of the crash with Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) anti-riot police rather than dispatching aid. Videos disseminated on social media confirm that protesters set fire to at least one police vehicle and caused significant damage to two other police vehicles. Other social media reports claimed that the oil tanker was an IRGC tanker transporting oil purchased at a reduced cost from Iraq. Sanandaj County Mayor Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei denied IRGC involvement with the oil tanker. (Instagram) (Instagram) (Instagram) (Instagram) (Radio Farda) (Tasnim News Agency)

Artesh and IRGC naval commanders discuss cooperation

Artesh Navy Commander RADM Hossein Khanzadi met with IRGC Navy Commander RADM Ali Fadavi on July 8 to discuss cooperation between the Artesh and IRGC navies. Khanzadi and Fadavi may have discussed contingency planning in the event that Iran moves to close the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting comes after senior IRGC officials emphasized support for the closure of the strait if the U.S. successfully persuades global partners to cease Iranian oil imports. (Defa Press)